Thursday, October 30, 2008

Gimme shelter!...(my first and probably last entry into political commentary)

"Gimme shelter!" ( Give us all shelter!)...
Or else maybe we'll all get swept away by that 'red coal carpet',
and the 'mad bull that's lost it's way'
(as the lyrics of this song go, all credit to M. Jagger & K. Richards).

Less than a week from now, we all go to the polls, and vote.

We live in times that until recently seemed like 'laissez le bontemps roullez'
(roughly translated as 'let the good times roll', if my boarding school French lessons serve me halfway well)
would last forever.
Guess not.
When this song was released in the late sixties, it knocked me on my ass -
It totally described the times & mood then, and though I hoped that maybe this was a temporary
judgement/description?... it seems to have only gotten more relevant as the years go on.
(I guess that's the the measure of true "art", isn't it? - that it stands the test of time?)

This one definitely does:

"War, children, it's just a shot away..
Rape, murder, it's just a shot away..."
(on the other hand)
"Love, sister, it's just a kiss away"

If you haven't heard this track for a while,
here's a reminder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJMnES7WoT4
The Stones, the recorded/studio version, w/ a lot of rather generic photos of the band...
but you can hear it again, in one click, without having to reach for the vinyl, the cassette, or the CD :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUuh9xuNKmA&feature=related
Michael Hedges version - An excellent cover version of this song.
If you've never heard of Michael Hedges, I suggest you also check out some of the other videos here, he was one of a kind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTC7kPZZmuM

Another quote, from way back when:

"Ask not what your country can do for you,...ask what you can do, for your country"
I don't think this should necessarily be interpreted as a call for joining the military or the civil service, but as a way of thinking about the world, and your place in it, as in 'do something positive, make a difference, contribute SOMETHING - if you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem'.

I was rather young when this was spoken by JFK, too young to vote, but it is still engraved indelibly in my memory, as was the news of his untimely death.
He was inspiring, and I think we have another presidential hopeful who can be equally inspiring,
in Barack Obama.
I think the dude has 'the right stuff'!
That's what we need - right here, right now, no fucking two ways about it.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, get out and VOTE!
Our country is at a critical turning point - we can move forward?...
or we can cling to a (Republican) past that is crumbling before our eyes.
As Bob Marley put it sooo well -
"Get up!, stand up!, stand up for your rights!"

After you've done that?... stop back in again - there's a lot of 'darkroom' headed this way, real soon, probably before the weekend is over.